Sunday, 19 October 2014

Pets 'n' Stuff | Man Part Removal

"What a dog I got, his favorite bone is in my arm."

Rodney Dangerfield

I had originally planned to do one of my usual week round up entries, but as I wrote it I could tell it was going to be a super long post. And I'm starting to be conscious of the fact my posts might be having a tl;dr effect (or is it affect?) on people. So I decided to split this week in to two or three posts over the next couple of days. I mean, I already know this post is going to be pretty long by itself. I really need to learn to condense my writing, but I digress. On with the show!

I mentioned in one of my last posts my Chihuahua puppy Edwin and my sister's Chihuahua puppy Berty, turned 6 months last week. So on Tuesday(14/10/14) he and Berty were booked in to be neutered. Not going to lie, I was a little nervous. I always get nervous when anything involves sedation. When an animal needs to be sedated for a procedure, the animal has to be at the vets for about 9am. Usually it's annoying for whoever is taking my pets to get me up and dressed in time for that, so in the past I haven't gone. I mean you basically just hand them over anyway, but I wanted to go with Edwin. I just threw on joggers to make it easier. I wish I had gotten a photo of him before he went in, but I guess I was too sleepy to think of it.

After Eva and I dropped Edwin and Berty off at the vets we decided to go get a bite to eat for breakfast. We both looked a little bit of a state in joggers and no make up, but luckily didn't encounter too many people since it was after the work/school rush. We went to a local little cafe at the end of our road, The Curious Cat Cafe. When I say little, I mean itty bitty teeny tiny. My electric wheelchair just about fits in it, which is what had put me off going in the past. But even at 9:30am in the morning I had put myself in the mood for one of their sandwiches, which are hella good.

Their Chickened Out sandwich

chicken, coleslaw and salad

As you can kind of see from the photo, the style of the cafe is very vintage and arty. It's all mix matched crockery from charity shops etc. They also have local artist's and photographer's work on the walls for people to buy. My mum tells me they have poetry nights and such too. I'd be tempted to go a lot more if my wheelchair didn't take up most of the floor space. It's the kind of place where they have regulars and remember their orders(cue Cheers theme tune). The girl who worked in it was super lovely to us. It was a really nice way to get our minds of our boys having their operations.

After my sister and I went home and just chilled until I got the call for us to go collect our boys. They said they'd done really well, that we've done well socialising them. I don't know what dogs she meant, because they definitely weren't ours. But there you go.

Edwin(brown)and Berty(blue)

when they'd just gotten home

They were sleepy when they got home, but other than that they were fine. Happy to get some grub in their tummies. Both seemed to be tolerating their cones pretty well too. The night after, Eva took Berty's cone off so he could have a rest. He didn't seem interested in his wounds, so she left it off all night and he's had it off since and been completely fine. The day after Eva had taken Berty's off, we took Edwin's off to see if he would leave his wound alone. No such luck. He was licking and bite at himself within five minutes. Back on the cone went.

Fast forward to Friday (17/10/14). I noticed Edwin seemed to be licking himself with his cone on. Eva checked his wound and sure enough he'd plucked the stitches open. My dad was less than happy that he had to take him round to the vets on his day off. I got a little upset. But I think that's a blog for another time. My dad took him round by himself, because he didn't want me to go. He came back with a bigger cone and two staples in his wound. My dad said he could hear him squeal from another room when they did it. My poor little man.

Cone No. 2

That night Edwin was extremely unsettled when we went to bed. I say we because he sleeps on my bed. I thought he might need the bathroom, but he did. Then he was just crying, but not his usual 'give me attention' cry. Like a quiet whimper. I wasn't sure what was wrong with him and his wound seemed fine. Later in the day though, Eva caught him licking at himself with THIS cone on too!

Off to the vet he went again for the THIRD time this week. He hadn't done any damage, but it was a Saturday and if he did any damage before Monday, there was no way my dad would take him to the emergency vet 45 mins away. This time my mum took him. I was worried about asking her after how my dad reacted, but she didn't mind. It turned out that one of the staples was pulling on his skin and digging into him, so that's why he'd been so unsettled and unhappy. My poor little man had been in pain. The vet said he couldn't take the staple out because he wouldn't let him without being sedated, but the wound was healing well. So he gave him stronger painkillers and a BIGGER cone. He's getting the staples out on Wednesday, I think.

Cone No. 3

So yeah, that is the story of Edwin's man part removal. It's typical it couldn't go smoothly for Edwin. He's seen as the trouble maker of the family, and plucking his own stitches out didn't do much for his reputation. I can't believe he's neutered already and there will never be mini Edwin's running about. Probably for the best, the world can only handle one.

He was so much more settled last night and such a cuddle bug. He slept with his head on my chest, his big cone tucked under my chin for part of the night. We were quite a pair, mask face and cone head. Luckily he only has to keep it on for eight more days, gosh... Eight more days.

Anyway, I thought I would finish with this photo of Edwin and I my dad took this morning. Who needs a boyfriend. ♥

EDIT (20/10/14)

So not long after I posted this last night, the Edwin Neuter Fiasco continued. He was literally not being watched for five or ten minutes and managed to wedge the cone under something and pull it off. He then proceeded to play vet on himself and removed one of his staples, thus opening his wound yet again. It was too late to take him to the vet, so we attempted to put a dressing over it until morning. Edwin was not happy with it at all. It was very traumatic for him as well as us. Eventually we got him to settle and I gave him a painkiller that made him sleepy. Then I woke in the early hours of the morning, hearing him snuffling about behind me. He had yet again pulled his cone off and was biting at himself! This morning my mum took him to the vet again and that's where he is now. They're trying to figure out what they're going to do with him and may have to sedate him again to patch him up. I really don't know what we're going to do with him, he's so determined and every time he gets at it we're back to square one. I'm not even going to hope this is the last time because I don't want to jinx it.

Howdy, I'm Sara but most call me Bloo. I'm 28 and live in N. Ireland. Here and on YouTube (link), you'll find a wide variety of topics relating to my life, my pets (meet them here!), my hobbies and living with Muscular Dystrophy. Aside from animals, I enjoy arts, crafts and reading. Thanks for stopping by!